'Not an even competition:' Parents say it's unfair for transgender wrestler to wrestle girls



ALLEN, Texas -- A transgender wrestler in Texas who was born a girl wrestles girls, but parents say it's unfair because he takes testosterone.

Last winter, Mack Beggs, now a senior at Trinity High School in Euless, Texas, competed for the state title, which he ultimately won.

"It was amazing. Like, I couldn't stop crying. It was so great," Angela McNew, Beggs' mother said.

Now, he's back at it again. His family said he's been working harder than ever towards his goals.

"We're proud of him because he's come so far from the first day he went and his personality has come far, and his -- everything about him has changed," said Nancy Beggs, Mack's grandmother.

Some parents, however, say he has an unfair advantage over his competition. He's been taking testosterone since he was 15 as he transitions to male.

"She's not built like a girl and she dominates everyone she wrestles. I mean, all you have to do is watch one of her matches for yourself and go see what everyone's talking about. It's not an even competition," said Omar Palomarez, parent.

Other parents who didn't want to talk on-camera agreed Beggs should wrestle boys, which is want he wants to do. UIL (University Interscholastic League) rules state competitors must compete against the gender on their birth certificate.

"I think he's disappointed that he didn't get to, but they didn't really give us that option," said McNew.

The issue was thrust into the spotlight in 2017 when a Coppell attorney and father of a female wrestler filed a lawsuit to keep Beggs from competing against girls, but Beggs' family argues he's taking a minimal amount of testosterone prescribed by his doctor to continue his transition.

"You can't change laws overnight, and we're going to chase the laws in order for this to be effective in Texas," said McNew.

For now, Beggs and his family are focused on state and looking forward to college, where Beggs will be able to wrestle boys.

"If you break those barriers and let kids be who they want to be and be in the sports they want to be in, than that starts breaking the walls down," said McNew.